4SS: 18 Weather You Like It or Not
by Ta1u1a
Summary: 18 of 22 in the 4th Sister Series, alternate season 4. The sisters face a weather demon and a mysterious stranger reveals herself to them.


Weather You Like It or Not  
>Eighteenth episode in the Fourth Sister Series<p>

Music Credit: Tomorrow by Avril Lavigne

* * *

><p>Piper sat on the fourth step from the bottom of the stairs shining a flashlight on the circuit box. Price was sitting next to her.<p>

"Well, I suppose the good thing about my power is that when we have two feet of water in the basement we don't have to risk electrocution to get the lights back on," Price commented. She flipped the door of the circuit box open.

"The lights always go out in this place during a storm. We've never been able to figure out what the deal is," Piper said.

"The house is old. What do you expect?" Price asked. She flipped a couple of the breakers and the two of them looked over their shoulders toward the kitchen. Nothing had happened. "Damn. At least we have a lot of candles."

They stood and headed back up the stairs, Piper guiding them with her flashlight. As they made their way through the Manor the thunderstorm raged outside. It looked like a hurricane out there and the weather had continuously been that way since the previous night. Lightning lit up the house and thunder crashed moments later.

"The problem is that Melinda can't sleep with all this," Piper said. "Leo says the Elders are getting a little peeved about him orbing up there with our daughter all the time."

"This is just a thought, but you might try dealing with the situation like a normal parent whose child can't sleep during a thunderstorm," Price said. They headed up the stairs toward the attic. Piper shot her an annoyed look. "What? You bound Melinda's powers because you wanted her to have as normal a childhood as possible. If you keep letting daddy orb her away from the smallest negative stimulus, she's not going to have a normal childhood. Is she?"

They entered the attic and Piper opened the trunk with all their candles in it. She handed some to Price and gathered some for herself to carry.

"I thought you were a journalist Price," she said. "Since when did you get a degree in psychology?"

"I just calls 'em as I sees 'em," she said with a smile. Once they had stocked up on candles they headed back down the attic stairs. "And you know that I'm right."

Piper sighed. "Yeah, you are." She went to her bedroom and placed candles on the nightstands and dresser. Price stood in the doorway while Piper lit the candles.

"Have you talked to Phoebe lately?" she asked. Piper shook her head and sat on the bed.

"No, not for a couple days," she replied. "The last time I saw her was when she holed herself up in the attic on Monday studying the Book of Shadows. Before she left she said she found a pretty promising job prospect last Friday. I suppose that was good to hear. It means that she hasn't been spending _all_ of her time researching how to vanquish the Source. But still, she's been of a pretty one-track mind lately."

"We should go to her and at least offer to help," Price said. "It's not like we don't want the Source dead, too. And Phoebe's not stupid enough to think that she can vanquish him on her own."

"No, she's not, but we'd be risking life and limb just to get to Phoebe in this storm," Piper said gesturing to the window. Lightning flashed again and thunder crashed only a second later.

"I'm worried," Price said.

Piper nodded her head. "Yeah, so am I." She stood and handed the flashlight and matches to Price. "But I think we can wait until the morning. If the storm's still going, we'll have Leo orb us to Phoebe. We have to slow her down. Because if she wants to vanquish the Source she has to grieve first. She's too emotional to face that kind of evil. We'll handle this together, but we have to be ready."

Price started to leave the room. "I hope we have enough time to get ready."

* * *

><p>Phoebe sat in her apartment staring out at the storm. It was one of the worst storms she had ever seen. It looked like hurricanes she saw in movies. It looked like the storm she felt in her heart and soul. She hadn't been able to mourn Cole. She couldn't deal with that pain. Instead she was burying herself in research, trying to find a way to take down the Source. She had barely spoken to her sisters, probably because she was disappointed in herself and the fact that she hadn't accomplished much. None of the spells she came up with sounded right and she was rusty on her potion skills. She didn't know where to go from here.<p>

Lightning flashed and thunder resounded in her ears. She jumped in surprise. Then she walked across the room into the kitchen and looked into the refrigerator. She poured herself a glass of iced tea and then reached into the freezer for some ice. When she touched the ice she was suddenly pulled into a premonition.

She saw herself and Piper in the Manor. A tall robed being with a staff shot a jet of ice toward the two of them and froze them alive. Then it swung its staff around and shattered them.

The premonition ended and Phoebe dropped the ice to the floor. Immediately she went to the phone and dialed the Manor. But she couldn't get through, she looked out the window and guessed the power had gone out. There was only one other option.

"Leo! Leo!" she shouted. Moments later Leo orbed into the apartment with Melinda in his arms. Phoebe looked curious.

"She can't sleep with the thunderstorm," he explained. "What's going on?"

"I had a premonition," Phoebe replied. "I saw a demon or warlock freezing Piper and me, literally, and then it shattered us. Do you have any idea what it could have been?"

"I'm not sure. When Prue was captured by Zile and the priestess it affected Piper's freezing power, and it changed into something similar to what you described."

"Well, warlocks are witches gone bad. So it could've been a warlock that had the same power as Piper as a witch," Phoebe said.

"Did you get a good look at it?"

"No. It was wearing a hooded robe," she replied. "I couldn't tell."

"We should get to the Manor and let your sisters know," he said. He shifted Melinda and held out his hand for Phoebe. She took it and they orbed out.

* * *

><p>Piper and Price were sitting in the parlor talking. They had lit a fire in the fireplace, so the room was dim. They looked up when they saw the bluish white lights that signalled Leo's return. They were surprised to see Phoebe with him.<p>

"Phoebe, hey," Price said. She glanced to Piper and then back to Phoebe. "Didn't wanna brave the storm?"

"Yeah, well, it's only a few blocks, but in that," she began, pointing out the window, "I wouldn't have made it halfway."

"What's up?" Piper asked, guessing that Phoebe definitely was there for more than a visit.

"I had a premonition," she said. "A demon or warlock attacked us and froze the two of us."

"Do you mean froze like I freeze?" Piper asked.

"No, I mean froze like human ice sculptures," she replied. "Then it shattered us."

"What kind of demon can do that?" Price asked.

"It might not be a demon," Leo said. "It could be a warlock."

"A warlock that had the same power I have when he or she was a witch," Piper said, remembering their encounter with Zile and the priestess Dantalian. "Did you see when the attack happened, Pheebs? Could you tell?"

"Not really. It was kind of dark, I think, but not really. There was flickering light," she replied. Lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. Price's eyes widened.

"Flickering light, like lightning?" she asked. They heard the front doors bang open. Phoebe and Piper walked toward the foyer.

"Leo, take Melinda upstairs," Piper said. Leo orbed out.

"Wait!" Price said. But they were already in the foyer.

"Piper, blow him up!" Phoebe yelled upon seeing the man in the robe. He had electric blue hair, but he otherwise appeared human. Piper lifted her arms, ready to thrust them forward and use her power, but the intruder was too fast. He shot ice toward them and froze them, Piper's hands raised in preparation to use her power and Phoebe trying to block the ice with her own arms. He was about to swing his staff to shatter them when it was yanked out of his hands by an unseen force. Price was in the doorway of the parlor and she now had his staff in her hand. She used her other hand to direct her power toward him and throw him out the door. Then she slammed the Manor doors shut. Moments later then staff turned to liquid in her hands and flowed through foyer and out the door. She was ready for him to come back, but he didn't.

She turned to her sisters, who were still frozen. "Oh God. Leo! Leo!" He orbed in and was shocked by what he saw. "Can you do anything?"

"I don't know. Maybe," he said, holding his hands up. The glow began and he slowly could feel them thaw. "I don't know if this will be fast enough. Hypothermia is already setting in."

"Just hurry," she said. The seconds felt like minutes as the ice slowly liquified and dripped down to the floor. The first part to completely thaw was Piper's hands. Her fingers bent slightly once the ice was gone. Price smiled in excitement. "It's working Leo. Hurry."

Slowly but surely the ice disappeared. Once it was all gone, Piper and Phoebe's legs gave out. Leo caught Piper while Price caught Phoebe. They helped them over to the fireplace. They both sat on the hearth, thankful for the warmth of the fire.

"W-w-we g-got a g-g-good l-loo-look at—" Phoebe stuttered through her shivers. Price rested her hand on her sister's shoulder.

"We're sure you did," she said. "Don't try to talk just yet. I'll go get you guys some dry clothes and some blankets."

Price left the room and hurried up to the second floor. Piper looked to Leo. "M-mel—"

"She's fine. She's up in her crib," he said. "You just worry about you right now."

Piper sighed, wrapped her arms around herself and tried to control her shivers.

* * *

><p>"He had blue hair," Phoebe said. They were all sitting in the parlor. She and Piper had changed clothes and were now wrapped in blankets and holding cups of tea in their hands. Leo sat on the arm of the sofa to the right of Piper. Phoebe was to Piper's left and Price was to Phoebe's left, flipping through the Book of Shadows in search of their attacker.<p>

"Blue hair, like old lady blue hair?" Price asked with a smirk.

"No, blue like bright blue. Like electricity," Piper replied. "It was long and straight. But other than the blue hair, he looked human."

"What about his staff, Price? You said you got a hold of it for a second," Leo pointed out.

"Yeah, it wasn't made out of wood or metal like a normal staff. It felt cold, like ice. And once I had thrown him out of the house, the staff turned to water and flowed under the front door," she said.

"The iceman cometh?" Phoebe jokingly wondered.

"Maybe. Who knows? I mean, we've run into a water demon and a wind demon," Piper said. "It wouldn't surprise me if there was an ice demon, too."

"Or a weather demon," Price said. She had stopped at a page in the book, and the others looked over. The illustration looked very much like the man who had attacked them. "Tempestus, the demon of weather. Tempestus can harness the atmosphere around him with his special staff and use that staff to alter natural weather patterns or even create his own weather to use as a weapon."

"You know, that would explain this insane storm we've had for the past day," Phoebe said.

"And how we got turned into human popsicles," Piper said sarcastically. "Is there a vanquishing spell?"

"No, but it says that without his staff, Tempestus is vulnerable. Anything could kill him, even something as simple as a knife," Price said.

"So we just need to get his staff away from him," Phoebe said. "Sounds simple enough."

"When I took his staff I only had it for a few seconds before it turned into water and ran away," Price said. "I don't think it's as simple as it sounds."

"Well, if we can get the staff away from him and I can freeze it before it oozes back to him, we should be okay," Piper said.

"Is there anything in the book that would suggest that he's immune to Piper's powers?" Leo asked. The sisters seemed surprised by the suggestion, but knew it was a possibility.

"It doesn't say anything, but he wasn't immune to my power. I don't see why Piper's would be any different," Price replied.

"Yeah, well, demons are tricky little things," Piper said. "You never know what you're dealing with."

"So we should probably come up with a plan B in case our weather man has immunity to your powers," Phoebe said.

"I've got the potion," Piper said, standing to head to the kitchen.

"I've got the spell," Phoebe said, heading to find a pen and paper.

Price watched them leave and looked to Leo. "Uh, and I guess I've got the research."

* * *

><p>A half hour later Halliwell Manor thankfully had power back. Piper was doing her best to whip up a potion, while her sisters worked on the rest.<p>

"Man, Piper, what are you putting in that?" Price asked as she entered the kitchen with a couple books. "It doesn't smell like a typical potion."

"Well, let's just say I'm not baking a cake over here," she replied. She stirred some ingredients in a large bowl. "And I would advise against licking the bowl."

"Whew!" Phoebe said when she entered the kitchen. She made a 'stink face' and waved her hand in front of her. "That smells like a killer potion. What's in it?"

Piper scraped the mixture from the bowl into a pot of boiling water. "Among other things, anti-freeze."

"Anti-freeze?" Price asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I got creative," Piper said. "I'm really not sure if it'll work, but it struck me as a possibility. At the very least, maybe we won't end up as ice sculptures again."

"Hey, you're the expert," Phoebe said with a shrug. She turned to Price. "I've got a spell, I think. Did you find anything else that might help us fight this guy?

"No," Price replied. "Not really. Just the stuff that was in the Book of Shadows."

Suddenly the window in the kitchen shattered and strong winds blew through the room. Price ducked out of the way into the dining room. Phoebe was thrown to the floor and Piper was forced back against the kitchen counter. Tempestus appeared in the middle of the kitchen.

Piper stepped to the side to freeze him, but he blew a gust of wind at her, throwing her through the open basement door and down the stairs. Phoebe heard Piper splash into the flooded basement, and she stepped forward. She got a kick in against the demon, but he hit her with his staff, knocking her to the floor. Price threw Tempestus against the far wall with her power and he quickly recovered. He shot a burst of golf-ball sized hail at her. She fell to the dining room floor, trying to guard herself from the hail. Tempestus stepped forward and hit Phoebe with his staff again. She was knocked backwards and ended up tumbling down the stairs, splashing at the feet of Piper, who had just recovered from her fall. Tempestus stood in the doorway, glaring down at them. Piper helped Phoebe up and pulled her backward into the basement.

"I've got an idea, but we need him down here," Piper said in a low tone. She and Phoebe backed up as far as they could. Tempestus moved toward them. He stepped into the water just as Price entered the doorway. Piper looked to Phoebe. "Levitate out of the water." Phoebe was confused, but she did as Piper said.

"Price, his staff!" Piper shouted. Price threw Tempestus' staff out of his hand. He turned to her in a rage, giving Piper time to freeze him. However, the staff didn't freeze and it fell into the water.

"It didn't freeze, Piper," Phoebe said, still levitating. "The staff is immune to your power, but he isn't."

"Well, that doesn't matter," Piper said. "He's frozen. Price, lift me out of the water."

Price did so. Piper looked over her shoulder and thrust her hand toward the circuit box. It exploded and live wires fell into the standing water. The electricity surged and the lights in the kitchen exploded, almost causing Price to drop Piper.

"Don't worry, Piper. I got you," she said. Tempestus had unfrozen and he was being electrocuted to death. He flashed and convulsed from the electricity, and after almost a minute, the circuit breakers finally exploded again and the current ceased to run through the water. Tempestus disappeared as his body fell forward.

"That's one shocking little plan you came up with," Phoebe joked. Piper rolled her eyes at the bad pun.

"Is it safe to put you down now, Piper?" Price asked from the top of the basement stairs.

"Only one way to find out," Piper said. She nodded her head, but instead of lowering Piper gently, Price just let go completely. Piper wasn't ready and fell onto her back. She sat up and glared at her youngest sister who was grinning. Price shrugged her shoulders.

"Sorry," she said. Phoebe lowered herself down to the floor and then helped Piper up.

"Man, this is the second time we've had to change clothes tonight," Phoebe said. The two of them headed up the basement stairs.

"Do we think Tempestus is really gone?" Price asked.

"He didn't have his staff," Piper said. "And that looked pretty much like a vanquish to me. I mean, he disappeared."

"I don't see how he could've survived that," Phoebe commented. "And even if he did. We've still got the spell and the potion."

"Well, it's late, and I'm kinda sick of having to change my clothes," Piper said. "Let's call it a night, and we'll worry about demons later."

Price looked down at her arms. Bruises were forming from the hail. "Man, I'm going to have to wear long sleeved shirts for a week. Talk about hail damage."

The three of them headed out of the kitchen. It was still raining, so Phoebe crashed on the day bed up in the attic, after borrowing more of Piper's clothes. They all went to sleep, hoping that was the last they would see of Tempestus.

* * *

><p>Piper awoke in the morning and looked over to Leo's side of the bed. For once he was actually there. She had grown so accustomed to him being gone in the morning—having been called by a charge or at a staff meeting—that she was surprised to see him sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled, liking the feeling she got from waking up with her husband beside her.<p>

Her smile faded when she looked toward the window. It was still raining. Not nearly as hard as it had been, but Piper had hoped with the vanquish of Tempestus they would wake up to a nice, sunny California morning. No such luck.

She headed out of the bedroom, noting that it was only 7:30, and she was on her way to the bathroom when she heard noises coming from Melinda's room. She was still half-asleep, so she wasn't quite sure of what the noises were. But to Piper they didn't sound like Melinda's typical baby noises. She slowly crept to the room and peeked inside. She smiled when she saw Phoebe sitting on the floor. Melinda was lying on her stomach, looking up at her Aunt Phoebe with a big grin on her face. Phoebe was playing peek-a-boo, and Melinda was obviously enjoying it. Piper cleared her throat and Phoebe looked up.

"Hey," Phoebe said with a smile.

"You're up early for you," Piper commented. "Especially the morning after a vanquish."

"Yeah, well, the attic windows rattle too much. I couldn't sleep up there," Phoebe replied. "And don't worry. Mellie was already up when I got down here. Actually I think she was getting ready to wake the household from the look on her face."

"Seven o'clock every morning," Piper said with a smile. She walked in and sat Indian style on the floor next to Phoebe. She watched Phoebe continue to play peek-a-boo with Melinda, trying to work up the courage to pursue the conversation she had in mind. Finally she exhaled and started it.

"Are rattling windows really why you can't sleep?" she asked. Phoebe looked at Piper briefly, and then went back to Melinda.

"Please don't go there, Piper," she said quietly. "I'm not ready for that yet."

"When will you be ready for it?" Piper asked, forcefully but at the same time quietly. She didn't want to push too hard.

"When the Source is dead," Phoebe replied. "I can't lose control now because we have to take out the Source."

"Phoebe you've got that backwards. You don't have control. Your emotions are in control," Piper said. "You cannot go up against the Source of all evil now. Not yet."

"I think we did fine last night with Tempestus. Did I seem to be under the control of my emotions?"

"No, but Tempestus was different. He was not even an upper-level demon as far as we could tell. And he was coming after us. Not the other way around. You're talking about going on the offensive here against the most powerful evil we've ever heard of," Piper said. "None of us are ready for that."

Phoebe sat quietly for a moment. "What about you? When you came out of the coma a month after Shax attacked, you immediately went on the offensive. You told me you went straight to the Book of Shadows to find a way to bring me and Leo back."

"That was different, Phoebe," Piper said, not completely sure that it was.

"How? How was it different?"

"Because she was in more danger of losing her life without you than with you," Price said from the door of the room. Piper and Phoebe looked over in surprise. "She was alone, and you had tried to kill her. She had to go on the offensive before she could grieve the loss of Prue and the possible loss of you. Because if she let go of her emotions while she was alone, she would've been vulnerable. And we wouldn't be here right now. She and I would probably both be dead, along with Cole, Leo…and Mel here never would've even been born."

"I still don't see how it's different," Phoebe said quietly.

"It's different because you're not alone," Piper said. "I had nobody to watch my back and protect me. I had no support except for dad and Darryl. Two mortals and a witch do not the Charmed Ones make." Phoebe smiled a little, even as tears started to pool in her eyes. Price sat on the floor with the two of them. "We're here to protect you, Pheebs. You don't have to go to war just yet."

Phoebe wiped some tears from her face, but the flood gates had already opened. "I miss him so much. I just…I feel like I owe it to him…and to Prue."

"We _will_ get the Source," Piper said, brushing some hair out of Phoebe's face and resting her hand on her shoulder. "We will prepare and find a way to take him down. Believe me, I want it as much as you do."

Phoebe nodded her head and she simply let go. She had been holding back her tears as much as possible for the past couple weeks, and now she couldn't hold them back anymore. She crumbled into tears and Piper wrapped her arms around her. Price joined the hug and Phoebe cried in the supportive arms of her sisters.

* * *

><p><em>And I wanna believe you<em>  
><em>When you tell me that it will be ok<em>  
><em>Yeah I try to believe you<em>  
><em>But I don't<em>  
><em>When you say that it's gonna be<em>  
><em>It always turns out to be a different way<em>  
><em>I try to believe you<em>  
><em>Not today…<em>  
><em>I don't know how I'll feel<em>  
><em>Tomorrow, tomorrow<em>  
><em>I don't know what to say<em>  
><em>Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day<em>  
><em>It's always been up to you<em>  
><em>It's turning around it's up to me<em>  
><em>I'm gonna do what I have to do<em>  
><em>Just don't<em>  
><em>Give me a little time<em>  
><em>Leave me alone a little while<em>  
><em>Maybe it's not too late<em>  
><em>Not today…<em>  
><em>I don't know how I'll feel<em>  
><em>Tomorrow, tomorrow<em>  
><em>I don't know what to say<em>  
><em>Tomorrow, tomorrow is a different day<em>  
><em>Hey yeah yeah<em>  
><em>Hey yeah yeah<em>  
><em>And I know I'm not ready<em>  
><em>Hey yeah yeah<em>  
><em>Hey yeah yeah<em>  
><em>Maybe tomorrow<em>  
><em>And I want to believe you<em>  
><em>When you tell me that it will be ok<em>  
><em>I try to believe you<em>  
><em>Not today…<em>  
><em>Tomorrow will not change<em>  
><em>Tomorrow will not change<em>  
><em>Tomorrow will not change<em>  
><em>Tomorrow will not change<em>

Phoebe and Piper entered the apartment with Melinda, and Phoebe looked around. She was still unsure about it, but she knew she couldn't go back to the Manor now.

"Cole and I actually hadn't done much decorating yet," she said as they walked into the living room. Piper set Melinda's car seat on the sofa and looked around the place. It was nice. Modest and somewhat small, but a nice place for a couple to live. She walked over to the balcony doors and looked out.

"Great view," she said. Then she turned and looked at Phoebe. "You're really going to stay here alone?"

"I can't go back to the Manor," she said.

"If you're thinking of the nursery, we could change it back. Melinda could be in the room with me and Leo," Piper said.

"It's not that. And no, we're not changing the nursery back," Phoebe said. "I mean, we can't live together forever. You made that point when you and Leo were going to move out. You two are going to want more kids; you're building a family. The Manor is perfect for you guys." Piper nodded her head and looked out the window. It was still raining. The city had issued flood advisories for some areas. This was the most rain they had seen in a while.

"But what are you going to do now? How are you going to pay the rent?" Piper asked, focusing on the practicality of the situation.

"Remember that job I mentioned to you?" she asked. Piper nodded her head. "They called me yesterday before the whole Tempestus thing. I got the job."

"Really? What's the job?" Piper asked, wondering if she should be excited or not. Phoebe didn't seem excited.

"I'll be working as a counselor for a youth crisis center. The pay isn't super great, but it's enough," she said. "And it's a good opportunity for me. I'll be helping kids, and I think it'll feel good to help someone in a non-witchy way."

"That's great, Pheebs," Piper said with a smile. "I'm happy for you." Phoebe offered a small smile. "But you don't look happy for you."

"No, I am. It's just hard to be celebratory right now. You know?" she said. Piper nodded her head in understanding.

Suddenly the door to the apartment exploded and splintered. Piper and Phoebe both cried out in surprise and Melinda started crying loudly. When the debris settled the two sisters were surprised at who they saw there. Tempestus was there, looking mighty pissed off. He shot a blast of wind at Piper sending her flying through the glass balcony doors. She hit the railing and tumbled over the railing of the fifth floor balcony.

"No!" Phoebe screamed. She started to intinctively go to the balcony, but Tempestus hit her with a bolt of lightning, sending her across the living room and slamming into the wall. Phoebe slumped to the floor, unconscious. Tempestus turned to the wailing Melinda then. He pointed his staff toward her and was about to shoot a blast of ice at her when the staff disappeared from his hand. He looked around, trying to determine where his staff went.

"Who are you?" he asked angrily when he saw a young woman standing in the kitchen door with his staff. She looked to be in her early twenties. She had long, dark brown hair, and she was dressed in black leather pants, a dark green tank top and a black leather trench coat. She was also holding a sword. She said nothing to Tempestus. He was about to call his staff back when she quickly and expertly threw her sword. The blade pierced Tempestus' mid-section and he growled in rage and pain. Quickly, bolts of light and electricity burst from his body and enveloped him. Finally he exploded, leaving only the sword and his staff behind. Moments later the staff melted in the woman's hand and dripped to the floor. Having nowhere to go and no master to control it, the staff was no more than a puddle on Phoebe's carpet.

"Phoebe?" The woman looked over when she heard the voice coming from the balcony. She walked through the broken doors and looked down. Piper had somehow managed to grab onto the edge of the balcony. She was trying to pull herself up, but she couldn't. When the apartment had grown quiet, she had figured the battle was over and Phoebe had somehow won. She was surprised when a stranger looked over the balcony railing and down at her.

"Who are you?" Piper asked. The woman held her hand down to help Piper.

"I'm a friend," she replied. Piper knew she had no other choice but to trust this stranger, and she took her hand. They walked back into the apartment together and the woman picked up a sword in the middle of the floor. Piper went on the defensive and walked quickly over to guard Melinda. The woman just snickered at the reaction.

"I just saved your lives. I'm not here to hurt anyone," she said.

"Then why are you here?" Piper asked. Before the woman could answer a groan interrupted. Phoebe was slowly picking herself up off the floor.

"Ow," Phoebe said. She saw Piper and was surprised. Then she saw the stranger and was more surprised. "Piper, how did you…?"

"I caught hold on the balcony," Piper explained. She gestured to the woman. "She helped me."

"Who are you?" Phoebe asked.

"I'm a friend," she said. She pulled back her trench coat to reveal the scabboard. She slid her sword into it.

"Yeah, you said that already, but what's your name?" Piper asked.

"You can call me…Hope," she said. Then before they could say anything else she ran out of the apartment. Phoebe went to the door to follow her, but nearly slammed into Price in the process.

"I got here as fast as I could. What happened? Are you guys okay?" Price said. She had felt that Piper and Phoebe were in danger over their empathic connection and hurried over.

"Did you see that woman leaving?" Phoebe asked. "Lots of leather, dark hair, sword."

"Um, maybe. I wasn't really paying attention. What happened?"

"Tempestus wasn't as vanquished as we had hoped last night," Piper said. She picked Melinda up out of her car seat and then sat down on the sofa. "He attacked, and he almost had us. But that woman came from nowhere and vanquished him."

"Are you sure she vanquished him? I mean, what if she had just as much luck as we had?" Price asked.

"Well, I think that puddle may have been his staff," Phoebe said, pointing to the wet spot on the carpet. Then she turned to Piper. "What I don't get is how we couldn't have vanquished him."

Piper shrugged her shoulders. But Price seemed to have an idea. "I think I know," she said. "The staff melted to water when it was separated from him. When you had him in the basement, you saw that the staff didn't freeze. Tempestus was standing in two feet of water."

Piper caught on. "So he wasn't separated from his staff because his staff was mixed in with the water he was standing in."

"I care less about Tempestus now than I do about who that woman was," Phoebe said. She looked to Piper. "Did she seem familiar to you?"

"No, I've never seen her before. Why? Have you?"

"No, she didn't look familiar. She felt familiar," Phoebe said. "I can't explain it. It's like I know her from somewhere."

"I don't know. I just hope she really is a friend like she said," Piper commented. She looked down at Melinda who had calmed considerably now that Tempestus was gone. It seemed there was a new player on the scene. And so far she appeared to be on the side of good. Piper hoped that it stayed that way.

THE END


End file.
